Chechenya: After attack, what’s next for Kadyrov?

“away from the tensions of the region other voices suggest that Kadyrov – who has boasted of being up to his elbows in blood as he cracks down on extremists – is unable to maintain control through his strong man image.

Stefan Meister, of the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin, warns that today’s attack shows signs of vulnerability around Chechnya’s leader.

“Now we have an attack on parliament and we see that Kadyrov is not able to secure the main institutions of the Republic of Chechnya,” Meister told The Moscow News.

“It’s not only down to his hardline position, but we can see that it isn’t working. It worked for a while but it wasn’t able to resolve the long-term problems of the region.”

Although Meister feels the Kremlin will be “pretty shocked” by today’s attack, he adds that there is no immediate alternative to Kadyrov.

“It’s really difficult to find a person who is strong enough. I don’t think they will be able to find any one else.””